Above Ground

Chapter 4

past to present

Drifting off to sleep I replay the day in my head, over and over again. Attempting to base my dream around it. That doesn't seem to happen though, instead it's something much worse.

I'm here again. In the waiting room, the smell of strong cleaning supplies and medicine filling my lungs every time i inhale. A nurse walks up to me with a box of tissues in one hand paired with a worried persona.

"Miss Riley Clarke?" She asks. I nod, anxiety washing over me like a wave in a beach. She sits down next to me, placing a hand on my upper arm.

"I'm so sorry, there wasn't anything we could do." She rubs my arm attempting to comfort me, but it didn't work. I've lost her. In an instant a scream fills my ears and tears stream down my cheeks like a waterfall. I sit upright in bed screaming and crying. I can't catch my breath my lungs aren't getting enough air and I feel like I'm going to collapse. I attempt to settle myself but it doesn't work, so i scream but I can't hear myself. I shut my eyes, allowing the tears to fall and as I open them I see my mum burst through the door, she tries to tell my something but I can't hear her, my short breath quickens. I vaguely feel a blanket wrapped around my arms and a tight squeeze paired with it. I open my eyes and attempt to level my breathing. I allow the last few tears flow down my face to see my mother crying while comforting me.

"I'm so sorry." I say with a guilty look on my face.

"Why are you sorry sweetheart? It's not something you can control." Tears roll down her face when a sad smile appears on her face.

"I had a dream, well nightmare about Emma.The dream was based about her death and I don't know what happened, it was like i went back to how i was right after her death." Tears roll down my cheeks as I remember it all. Walking past her room just how she left it, her scent still hung in the air. Yet, she wasn't there. My best friend, my twin, was gone.

And I didn't even get to say goodbye.

"Don't blame yourself. No one could have saved her. Try and get some sleep, OK?" She rubs my back and leaves my room. I hop back onto my bed, wiping away the leftover tears on my face and unlocking my phone to see a new text from Jake.

'Are you OK?'

Oh my god he heard all of that. I quickly type a reply:

'Yeah, sorry you heard all that...'

As if on a timer, he replies within seconds:

'It's OK I get it aswell sometimes, try and forget about it. Come to your window.'

With my phone in hand, I get out of bed and walk to my window. I open my blinds to see Jake standing in front of his window with his phone in hand, wearing nothing but pyjama shorts, exposing his bare, yet incredibly toned torso. My eyes widen in awe and surprise. He has a cheeky smirk on his face and I blush. He starts typing and my phone buzzes:

'You look beautiful' His text reads.

Heat rises into my cheeks as I realise what I'm wearing. My pyjama shorts that expose my legs and they go really high, and a white crop top that exposes my stomach.

I look back up at him and decide to call him. He answers immediately.

"Hey." He says, his voice tired and husky.

"Hey." I reply, looking at him through the window, to catch him staring at me.

"I didn't realize this earlier but there are ladders connected to the walls down my window and yours, would you like to go somewhere?" He winks at me.